Books Headlines

Handwritten Rowling book sells for fairy tale price of $4M Video
British writer J.K. Rowling continues to work magic, with a handwritten book of her fairy tales selling for more than $4 million Cdn in London Thursday.
Bestselling fantasy author Pratchett reveals Alzheimer's diagnosis
Best-selling British author Terry Pratchett, creator of the monumentally successful Discworld series, has revealed that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's disease.
Paddington Bear's immigration status questioned in new book
British writer Michael Bond has revealed that a book marking the 50th anniversary of Paddington Bear will centre on the arrest and interrogation of the marmalade-loving fictional character.
International hits, premieres lined up for Luminato arts fest
The highly acclaimed soldier drama Black Watch, a multi-lingual South Asian production of the Bard's A Midsummer Night's Dream and a one-week residency by U.S. contemporary dance icon Mark Morris will be among the high profile events anchoring the 2008 edition of Toronto arts festival Luminato.
Author and critic Elizabeth Hardwick dies at 91
Elizabeth Hardwick, a Kentucky-born author and critic who helped found the New York Review of Books, has died. She was 91.
TV rights sold for Giller winner Late Nights on Air
Shaftesbury Films, makers of ReGenesis and The Murdoch Mysteries, has bought the rights to Elizabeth Hay's Giller Award-winning novel Late Nights on Air.
Paris National Library opens secret trove of erotic books
The Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris opened its secret collection of erotic manuscripts and art to the public for the first time in nearly 40 years on Tuesday.
Page from Napoleon's love story sold for $35,400 Cdn
The first page from the manuscript of a love story written by Napoleon Bonaparte has been sold at an auction in Paris for $35,400 Cdn.
Goldmans sue over pirate site offering If I Did It
Ronald Goldman's father is suing a Swedish website that has posted O.J. Simpson's book If I Did It, about the slaying of his son and Simpson's ex-wife.
Turkish publisher questioned over atheist's bestseller
A Turkish publisher says he's seeking legal counsel and readying his written defence after being questioned on Thursday by an Istanbul prosecutor over an evolution specialist's bestselling book.
Argentine poet Gelman wins Cervantes Prize
Argentine poet Juan Gelman has won the Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-speaking world's top literary award, Spanish Culture Minister Cesar Antonio Molino announced Thursday.
Bangladeshi writer threatened in India
The Indian government has pledged to continue to host and protect Bangladeshi feminist writer Taslima Nasreen, who is in hiding in India after violent protests against her.
Lesbian author and advocate Jane Rule dies at 76
British Columbia writer Jane Rule, author of Desert of the Heart and a mentor to dozens of other B.C. writers has died. She was 76.
Britain's Lessing unable to attend Nobel Prize ceremony
British writer Doris Lessing will be unable to travel to Stockholm to accept her Nobel Prize on Dec. 10, the Nobel Foundation said Wednesday.
Canada Reads books to touch on hockey, glaciers
An astronaut will defend a book about a 19th-century man obsessed with a glacier and a hip-hop poet will vouch for a book set in the dystopian Toronto of the future in the 2008 edition of CBC Radio One's Canada Reads.